If balloons or the spirit of their messages could reach the heavens, there is no doubt Rev. Daniel Redmond sensed the love released May 25 from students and staff of St. Mary School in Chardon.
If balloons or the spirit of their messages could reach the heavens, there is no doubt Rev. Daniel Redmond sensed the love released May 25 from students and staff of St. Mary School in Chardon.
What would have been the pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Chardon and St. Patrick Catholic Church in Thompson Township’s 25th anniversary of priesthood marked what Bishop Edward Malesic called a sudden and shocking departure from this earthly world.
Daniel, 53, died May 9 just 16 days short of celebrating his Silver Jubilee.
“When I got the phone call, it took my breath away a little bit,” said Malesic, 12th bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, who spoke during Redmond’s May 14 funeral mass inside St. Mary’s.
Malesic said Daniel, warmly called “Father Dan” by many, consistently talked about faith and trust.
A Calling to Sacred Duty
Daniel was born in Southern California and graduated from Nashua High School in New Hampshire.
He moved to Cleveland with his family — parents Brian and Joan Redmond, and siblings Karen and Mark Redmond — the following summer and attended Bowling Green State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an accounting degree.
His sister was not surprised after her brother gave up the start of a lucrative career, complete with a company car, to enter the priesthood and said their parents were thrilled.
“Dan was an old soul,” Karen said. ”He was always an introspective intellectual. I am sure he gave considerable thought to the decision prior to committing to (being) a priest.”
The next eight years were full of intense religious studies to pursue his life’s calling and Daniel was ordained May 25, 1995. He joined his first parish, St. Vincent DePaul, before going on to serve at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in North Royalton, St. Monica Catholic Church in Garfield Heights and Holy Family Catholic Church in Parma.
In 2011, Daniel joined St. Mary’s, also serving as an United States Air Force chaplain, second lieutenant.
Family Bonds & Passions
In the May 9 church bulletin, Daniel wished mothers a happy Mother’s Day, his own having died May 2, 2013.
“Dan and my mom had a special connection,” Karen said. “She was his fiercest advocate and always his trusted confidant. I am certain they are together enjoying long chats once again.”
Daniel died on Mother’s Day.
“Father Dan stood for and with his family in Christ,” Mark said of his brother.
He also had a delightful mixture of outside interests.
“People might be surprised to know that Dan was an avid sports fan and truly enjoyed
hockey,” Karen said.
Deacon Tom Peshek shared a memory.
“After returning from a business trip to ‘The Pas’ Manitoba, I mentioned (the location) to Father Dan,” Peshek said. “He immediately said, ‘Oh that’s near the birthplace of Bobby Clarke — an NHL Star in the ’70s who lead the Philadelphia Flyers to two Stanley Cup wins.’ Not that I knew who Bobby Clarke was, but it was exciting and notable to Father Dan.”
“Father Dan was a great all sports statistician in both high school and professional sports,” his father added. “He amazed all with his memory for details.”
He also loved the Beatles, fly fishing and bird hunting, and he enjoyed following professional sports and could qualify as an amateur sports statistician, according to his family.
His favorite teams were the Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox.
Then there was his love of travel.
“Dan was extraordinarily busy, but when he was able, he loved to spend time relaxing with family either in Ohio, Florida or Hilton Head,” his sister said.
St. Mary Family
Deacon Larry Boehnlein called Daniel a kind loving man who guided their parish through many joys and tragic events.
“Shortly after he came to St. Mary, he was faced with the tragedy of the shootings at Chardon High School,” Boehnlein said.
During this tragedy, Daniel worked with the school, the community of Chardon and the parish, offering his support and consolation. St. Mary’s became ground zero for prayer vigils, funerals and grief support.
Linda Ropchock, the parish business manager, fondly remembered Daniel’s booming, belly laugh.
“We could hear it through closed doors and it made us smile — even though we had no clue why he laughed,” Ropchock said. “Just hearing it made us smile.”
Daniel was a history buff and avid reader with an incredible memory for dates.
“One of the best gifts we gave him was a Kindle so he could easily take his books on vacation,” Ropchock said.
She said the parish office staff still looks up expecting him when the door opens.
“We spend time teary-eyed each day,” Ropchock said.
Daniel was a wonderful person to work for, St. Mary Principal Friederike Wintersteller said.
Daniel supported their school and was so proud when it became the first STEM designated school in Geauga County, he said.
“He approved many updates for our school, such as air condition units in each classroom, new carpet in some classrooms and the school offices, the construction of a Makerspace Room that allows our students to be innovative, self-directed and creative learners, the addition of a unique sensory room and sensory path that help our students of all abilities to self-regulate, rebalance and have their sensory needs met,” Wintersteller said.
Daniel let his faculty and staff oftentimes know how much he appreciated their work.
“I just want you to know that you are a wonderful principal. We are so blessed by your service,” Daniel said in one of his last messages to Wintersteller shortly before he died.
He initiated St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus chapter, implemented the church’s summer festival, had blessings of parishioner’s pets and kept strict COVID-19 protocol during the pandemic.
Ropchock said he was not just her boss and pastor, but a true friend.
“We would talk about current events, places we travelled and those places we wanted to visit,” she said. “He would often stop by my office at the end of the week just to say how thankful he was that I was his business manager or send a random text to say that he thanks God for me. Can you imagine? I cannot express how much I miss him.”
Celebrating a Life Well Lived
Rev. Stephen Spisak found Daniel unresponsive Mother’s Day evening in the rectory.
“It was sudden and completely unexpected,” Karen said. “We are thankful to Father Spisak for finding Dan and contacting the authorities and our family.”
He spent his final hours celebrating 12 noon mass, followed by a baptism.
During his own funeral mass days later, holy music filled the church.
“He was a good priest, faithful priest, kind priest, holy priest and persistent priest,” Malesic said.
Rev. Michael Gurnick, friend and past fellow seminarian of St. Patrick Parish of Cleveland, served as homilist.
His death reminds everyone life is short, Gurnick said.
The words “quietly, peacefully bring him home to you” echoed through the church.
A flock of Daniel’s priestly brothers filled rows of pews.
Gurnick called his life well lived, despite his sudden passing.
A lone bagpiper played “Amazing Grace,” concluding the ceremony.
“My family and I feel this loss deeply and painfully, but we know we are not alone in our grief,” Karen said. “Dan was loved by so many in the parishes of St. Mary and St. Patrick.”
A special remembrance not yet finalized by the churches is being planned.
“We witnessed and felt the outpouring of love from everyone we met at St. Mary’s church,” Karen said. “I am comforted knowing Dan will always be with us. His unwavering compassion, gratitude and love for God is engraved in our hearts.”
Final Words
In May’s “The Messenger,” Rev. Daniel Redmond gave one of his final written words mailed to parishioners, reflecting on the gift of the priesthood.
“From the days of serving as a Parochial Vicar to the last nine and a half years of service here as pastor of St. Mary’s in Chardon, God has blessed me in so many ways. I have been, and continue to be, blessed to celebrate the Sacraments for Christ’s people. I have been, and continue to be, blessed to serve alongside so many dedicated people who share their faith so beautifully and powerfully. I have been inspired by the witness of those who have truly embraced the call to holiness that comes to us in baptism. To share the Word of God and to share the Catholic faith have been, and continue to be, blessings beyond measure. To celebrate the holy sacrifice of the mass and give the body and blood of Christ to the people I serve has been, and continues to be, a privilege beyond measure.”
